Just Arrived At My FFL: Mossberg 500 FLEX System

I’ve been doing so many full-format gun reviews lately that my FFL guy has me on speed-dial. I stopped by his place yesterday with some shipping questions, and by blind luck it turned out he had another gun for me to play with: a Mossberg 500 FLEX . . .

I know what you’re thinking. Another Mossberg 500 article? This ubiquitous pump shotty is about as exotic as a 2003 F-150, but the 500 FLEX isn’t your grandfather’s Mossy. Any component that you see in this picture can be swapped out, without tools. in less than 30 seconds. It looks like O.F. Mossberg & Sons has succeeded in teaching this old dog (52 years old, to be precise) a few new tricks.

I think the point is that the extra parts are so easy to put on and off that even someone who’s mechanically incompetent (like me) can customize their shotgun without having to go to a gunsmith. I can see a market for this.

I look at it and wonder, after the first couple times for giggles, how often am I really going to bother to modify my shotgun? If I was in a house with multiple shooters of various sizes (which I’m not), the quick change stocks with varying LOP would be useful, I suppose, but that’s all I got.

It also lets you modify it between a hunting configuration and a tacticool one. Granted, I have no need to have one gun “do it all”, since I can easily afford multiple firearms, but not everyone is in that position.

Matt, it’s the one gun does all system. Waterfowling, squirrel hunting deer and hog hunting and self defense. Mossberg’s are solid and reliable platforms, my defense shotgun is a mossy, that are priced for the guy on a budget.

Personally, I like the excuse to buy more than 1 gun for the different jobs. But if you were going to limit yourself to 1 gun it would be hard to beat this.

Nice review Chris let us know how it workd out. I’ve done same for my 870 with Wingmaster barrel I got from a friend, a rifled barrel with sights and about to spring fr the cantilevered scope mount which I should have gotten first with a Nikon Slugmaster scope. Bottomline:
One gun for pig deer dove ducks and HD in a rock solid platform. Mossy is making it easy and probably lots less than what I’ve paid in $ and time.

I came across one January SHOT show article on another blog (TFB) which mentioned an upcoming MVP Patrol model in .308 due to come out this coming summer. No mention of price or magazine compatibility.

Yes, me too. It’s an ugly, Frankensteinish abomination with all the drawbacks of tacticool and none of the advantages…or is it all the advantages of a levergun with the bonus of tacticool?…but either way I want it.

And if the cost of this Mossberg 500 Flex isn’t too high, I’d want it, too. I don’t have the $$ to buy several shotguns, and anyway the only practical use I’m likely to put it to is home defense, but I like the idea of having one gun that I could easily configure for any use a shotgun might be put to.

FLEX is a part of the MVP lineup of AR mag ready rifles as well. Same MVP features in an all black “patrol” config– but with FLEX stock. 5.56/.223 available now, 7.62/.308 by late summer 2013. Any stocks with the FLEX connectors work– though the adjustable tactical stock shown in the picture above is standard on it. MVP FLEX also comes with a “youth” 12″ LOP stock as an option

It”s got more modularity than you shake a non-modular stick at. OTOH, changing Mossberg 500 stocks & barrels is ridiculously easy as it is. We’ll see if Mossberg makes any compelling new FLEX parts in the coming years.

Meh. I have a 500 and I change out the barrels damn near every weekend (18.5″ home defense to 28″ modified choke trap and back), and if I had a quick change pistol grip to add to the mix I’d probably do it.

That looks like a good deal! But there’s one thing I don’t understand: Why do mfgrs use an AR type collapsible stock on a firearm that doesn’t have a buffer tube? The design is OK on an AR where 6″ is as short as you can get, but is not needed on a shotgun like the Mossy 500. The only reason I can think of is that it’s cheap because they only have make an adapter. But it still seems a bit silly.

The Remington PFS-87 topfolder that was available for the 870 is a much better design, and the collapsible stock used on the HK-91, 93 and 94 is superior! The AK underfolder isn’t bad either (but I do have some quibbles with the UZI folder’s design).

The PFS-87 is the reason I’ll keep my 870s (probably until hell freezes over 😉 .

From the G&A website: Recommended retail prices currently begin at $593 for a black All Purpose M500 Flex with 28-inch vent-rib barrel and Accu-Choke and go up to $887 for an OD green tactical M500 Flex with 20-inch barrel, railed fore-end and XS ghost-ring sights.